Transcript: Interview with James Willis, 2GB - 6 April 2026

TRANSCRIPT

INTERVIEW WITH JAMES WILLIS, 2GB

6 April 2026

Topics: Labor’s failed rollout of its new aged care system, cost blowouts for home care services, NDIS reform

E&OE…………………………………

JAMES WILLIS: Look, this is very, very concerning and I think there's a concern here that we are getting into NDIS territory with some of these reforms to aged care and specifically home care packages. Now since these new reforms came into effect last year, some providers have been charging crazy prices for basic services to elderly and often vulnerable Australians. In some cases, the cost of simple tasks has doubled overnight, turning basic services into a luxury. A shower, for example, using home care funding can now cost $180 an hour, a cleaner can charge upwards of $150 an hour and a gardener can cost a whopping $290 per hour. Now it's worth noting not all providers are jacking up prices, but these reforms that have been led by the Government and initiated by the Government have opened the floodgates for scammers, and over the long weekend we've seen them in action because some providers have capitalised on public holiday rates by quoting $330 an hour to help someone with showering. With prices like this, it's forced some older Aussies to make the tough choice and simply go without. 

And at the same time, more than 100 federal MPs have come together to slam these aged care reforms, saying they haven't helped and in many cases have left many senior Australians much worse off. Anne Ruston is the Shadow Minister for Health and Aged Care. She's on the line for us this morning. Anne, good morning to you. 

ANNE RUSTON: Good morning, James. 

JAMES WILLIS: This is an appalling story, firstly. $330 an hour to help someone with a shower. 

ANNE RUSTON: Well, we're hearing lots of really terrible stories along these lines. But I think, you know, you actually hit the nail on the head in your introduction when you said the Government has really designed a system that's stripped away flexibility and replaces it with layer after layer after layer of compliance and burden – and essentially, it's a copy and paste of the same structural issues that we're seeing in the NDIS, have now been transferred into aged care and the costs that follow them. So, I think there are some really serious questions the Government needs to answer as to how can it have let this happen that older Australians are now forced into a situation where they're choosing to go without a shower because they simply can't afford to pay for it. It is an outrageous situation in Australia. 

JAMES WILLIS: It's terrible and there will be many people listening, Anne, that understand this and have been dealing with these reforms since November. But for those that maybe don't understand it, just give us a summary. What has changed that's allowed the potential for scammers and sharks to take advantage of the new system? Just explain that to people. 

ANNE RUSTON: Well, what the Government has done since the 1st of November is to change the way people are actually accessing their home care. So the new rules around funding, around what's being provided for free, what consumers have got to pay for, is now so overly burdensome. I mean, I really struggle to understand this whole set of reforms, and I've had my head in them now for three years. How an older Australian or their families can understand how these reforms actually work completely and utterly mystifies me. And so, what we've got is just this layer upon layer upon a layer of complications and compliance and reporting that previously hadn't been available. And we also see that the Government wants to get rid of another program which has been helping older Australians, which is called the Commonwealth Home Support Program, which is much easier, much simpler, much cheaper. They actually want to get rid of that. So, if anybody who's listening to your program who's even remotely considering entering into the aged care system, I'd say to them start looking at what's involved now because it will take them so long to understand what's available to them, what's best for them, and you're better off to do it while you're fit and healthy than being confronted with this situation when your health is deteriorating. 

JAMES WILLIS: Well, Anne, and the last thing we need is to create a system with guardrails or no guardrails that would resemble in any way the NDIS, which Labor has continued to talk about scaling back and putting in the appropriate reforms to make sure that it doesn't blow out beyond the current level of $50 billion a year. And we're hearing today that's going to be a major focus of the Budget in a couple of weeks from now. But. I mean, I have my doubts. They've been given many opportunities to fix this, to rein it in, to make the tough decisions and so far I haven't seen any proof of that. 

ANNE RUSTON: No, and I don't think Australians have seen any proof of the commitment of the Government to make sure that the NDIS is fit for purpose and providing the support for the people it was intending to support, and that's people with long-term disability. So we've always been very prepared to work with the Government to make sure that we have got an NDIS that is what it was originally designed to be, but so far we've had very little interaction with the Government as to what their plans are. They don't consult with anybody. This seems to be a pattern of behaviour – nobody gets consulted and at the last minute the Government makes some sort of announcement and then we've got to try and retrofit what it actually means. We saw that with the aged care reforms. We saw it with the Minister going out and making announcements about the Thriving Kids program. He just made an announcement and then spent the next six months trying to design a program that fitted what he said at the Press Club. This is not the way to run a government and it's not the way to run a country. 

JAMES WILLIS: Absolutely, but on that, I mean, you'd agree because the Coalition was largely - this was created under Julia Gillard, this is the NDIS, created under Julie Gillard then allowed to grow in size under the Coalition. When the Coalition, when your government tried to make changes to it, to make radical reforms, there was a scare campaign from the disability lobby, which was supported by Bill Shorten and the likes from the Labor Party. I mean this is such an issue now and it's a vitally important service that provides care for people that are vulnerable, people that need lifelong support for their disabilities. This needs bipartisan support. So whatever cuts Labor's proposing, surely you guys have got to be on board with that? 

ANNE RUSTON: Well, as I said, we have always been prepared to work with the Government. The Government hasn't always been prepared to work with us. Because when you do reforms and you want Australians to come along on the journey with you, you have to consult with them. You have to keep them informed. And we have always said that we need to be having conversations, or the Government needs to be having conversations with Australians about what the NDIS looks like, instead of doing everything behind closed doors. But my door remains open and the door of the Shadow Minister for the NDIS, Melissa McIntosh's door remains open for the Government to come and talk to us about how we can make sure that Australians who rely on the NDIS are getting the services that they need. 

JAMES WILLIS: Well said, Anne. We really appreciate your time this morning, thank you. 

ANNE RUSTON: It's my pleasure, thanks James. 

ENDS